


Rest, Butterfly

by Winter_Moonlight



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Butterflies, Gen, Language of Flowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 05:28:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21265811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winter_Moonlight/pseuds/Winter_Moonlight
Summary: Without any formal "1, 2, 3, START", Izumi gets sent on a scavenger hunt with no clues. On top of that, a little butterfly seems to be following him around?Happy Birthday, Izumi Sena!





	Rest, Butterfly

Rhythmic clicks blend into his daydreams. The movements of the clock never stopping – time never ceasing – no matter what occurs in the outside world. The travesty, the peace, the sacrifices, and the rebirths – all but a fragment of times past. A single mortal life is nothing but a fleeting dream to the Earth.

And yet, they live on.

The teacher standing before them closes their textbook. He and the others stand from their seats and give out proper gratitude. The school day is finally over.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to take over class duty, Sena? Just for today?”

His attention is pulled towards the boisterous voice. As did everyone else’s.

“Right, right. It’s your birthday, isn’t it, Senacchi?”

Izumi waves his hand, putting away his notebooks into his school bag. “It’s fine, Morisawa. And yes, but don’t do anything weird, Kao-kun.”

Kaoru chuckles. “I have my hands full with another needy birthday crier.”

Izumi rolls his eyes. “Everyone, get out. The faster you go to Sakuma’s party, the quicker I can clean up and go home.”

“Fufu~ We have Student Council work anyways, but consider this one of your gifts.” Eichi laughs on his way out with Keito. “Happy birthday, Sena-kun.”

He watches his classmates leave the room, all of them wishing him the same sentiment. With a deep exhale, Izumi begins to clean the classroom. If he hurries, maybe he can catch Leo. Knights has a practice session in just half an hour. Although the other four protested having a lesson today, Izumi insisted. It doesn’t matter if it’s his birthday. It’s just another day in their painstakingly long, yet ever-fleeting, lifespan.

Does his existence even deserve to be celebrated?

Taking one last double-check, Izumi closes the door and locks it behind him. It takes only a few steps before he is in front of the 3-B classroom. The door left is ajar; however, no one is inside. Within the bland room, filled with the same empty desks, a shocking spot of color catches his eyes. Izumi cocks his head and walks to it. A butterfly has flown in through the open window and perched on the singular flower laying across a desk. He takes the flower stem carefully, praying that the creature doesn’t frighten and float away. Walking to the window, he holds it outside.

“Go on. Don’t get trapped in here.”

His azure eyes track the small insect as it spreads its wings and floats away with the breeze.

Now that the little one is set free; Izumi examines the flora in his hand. It’s a blue iris, with a long, light blue ribbon tied in a neat bow around the immaculate stem. His eyes roamed over the room once more. The desk that the flower had rested on is Leo’s. On top of the surface laid another clue, one with Izumi’s name elegantly scripted over it. Taking the tiny notecard, he flips it over.

_Go to the…_

He raises an eyebrow in confusion. Go to the… what? Where?

Seriously, Izumi sighs within his mind. Shouldering his school bag, he leaves the classroom and closes the door securely, taking the flower with him. What is Leo even thinking? They have a practice session in just a few minutes.

If they wanted to wish him a happy birthday, they could do so then.

With no other clues as to where his wayward King could have gone, Izumi makes his way to Knights’ studio. After a short knock, he enters the room. Ritsu’s bedding is laid out, but the self-proclaimed vampire is nowhere to be found. In his place, resting serenely on a pillow, is a puffy hydrangea flower – a note resting beside it.

The slow, fluttering movements of butterfly wings makes him pause. The window has been left open, again. With another lamented exhale, Izumi reaches his hand out, urging the insect to crawl from the soft pillow to his skin. The moment it does, he sends it back out into the vast world.

After patting out the dust and putting away the bedding, Izumi reads the next note while tying the hydrangea against the iris with the ribbon.

_…Space._

Izumi narrows his eyes. Surely there are more of these laying around – or else he and Leo will have a very long discussion about this joke. No, Izumi will not, absolutely not, risk his life to meet make-believe aliens.

With no one in their studio, he supposes their practice session is not going to happen.

Sending him on a scavenger hunt with no clues as to where to go next – this is a terrible birthday gift. But Izumi plays along, anyways, humoring whoever it was that took the time to plan the whole thing, no matter how terribly executed it is. Taking one quick step at a time, he hops his way down the stairs and towards the second-year classrooms.

2-B is another place where the door has been left agape. Unsupervised. His blue eyes automatically land on Arashi’s desk, understanding their game now.

Another notecard and a large chrysanthemum lays on the desk innocently.

_…East…_

Izumi hums underneath his breath. As he moves to leave the room, his eyes catch the fluid movements of yet another butterfly making its way through the air from beyond the window pane.

When he goes down to Tsukasa’s classroom, he is left confused. There is no clue for him here.

“Momo-kun.” He calls out. “On class duty?”

Startled, Tori’s shoulders jerk. “What are you doing here??”

“Rude.” Izumi sniffs. “Whatever. Have you seen Kasa-kun?”

“Tsukasa?” Tori repeats back. “As if I care where he went… But I think he said something about going to Archery Club.”

“Mm. Thanks.”

Izumi turns to leave but the first year’s high-pitched voice makes him look over his shoulder again. “I guess I should say this, today… Happy birthday, Sena-senpai.”

He smiles a bit in return, saying his thanks once more and walks out the door.

The archery grounds, huh? That’s situated outside, a little way from the main building. The draft tickles the strands of his hair against his forehead. He brings a hand up and brushes it aside, assuaging the sensation. As his eyes move to and fro with the movements, he spots the same kind of butterfly as before getting caught up in the wind and sent afloat higher.

Opening the door to the archery grounds, he is greeted, once again, with a soundless atmosphere. Right in the center of the empty space is a dark pink rose and another card. Izumi kneels down beside it, carefully adding it to his growing bunch and tying a neat bow with the blue ribbon.

_…Garden…_

He splays the cards out with his fingers, almost like he is playing a card game. Shifting them around produces a proper sentence.

Go to the East Garden Space.

That place… Where a gazebo stands harmlessly against a serene background of lush foliage and colorful flora. The place where he and Leo decided on their unit name, when it was just the two of them against the bloodied, burning world.

Dusting his pants off, Izumi goes to his final destination. Though he played by their rules all afternoon, no one greets him at their goal line. The garden area is vacant.

Until he feels a brush of warmth against his ankle.

Looking down, shining grey fur weaves its way between his feet.

“What are you doing here? I thought you got adopted,” Izumi whispers, following the creature as it tries to lead him into the gazebo. “Little John.”

The cat meows. She hops onto the bench and makes another noise.

“Okay, okay.” Izumi relents, taking a seat beside the animal and leaning his back on the cushioned wall panel and handrail. He sets down his things at his feet. “What?”

One paw at a time, Little John presses into Izumi’s lap and crawls up to his chest. She lets out a content purr as her underbelly is pressed up against Izumi’s warmth – against his steadily beating heart.

“Hm? Did you miss me or something?” He whispers, wrapping one arm near her tail and raising his other hand to hold her more securely against him. “Guess you were one of Leo-kun’s honorary members… We had some good times together, huh?”

The utterly soft and comfortably warm fur on the cat’s neck pressed against his. Her ear flicks each time a strand of his hair dares to prod at it; the trembling muscle brushing against his earlobe. Little John’s purring rumbled into his chest deeply, the vibrations and sound easing all of the day’s tension away bit by bit.

Staring ahead, his eyes roam the clear cobalt sky. The clouds drift with the amicable gust, unhurriedly making their way across the immense biosphere. The sounds of rustlings leaves are but a distant white noise as his eyes begin to fall close involuntarily.

Little John’s purring continues.

Peace has finally reached this place, too, huh?

Izumi blinks his eyes open slowly, his sleep fogged mind catching up to his awakening body. His cheek is pressed up against something hard and his eyes spot a familiar blue color. Realizing he is leaning on another person, Izumi jerks upright. The cat in his lap protests with a throaty growl and hops off.

“Ara~ Awake already, Izumi-chan?”

He shifts his eyes to look around the gazebo. Arashi is sitting next to him on the bench while Leo, Tsukasa, and Ritsu sit in chairs around the table pulled up in the middle. He could feel his cheeks heating up with a flush of pink.

“Nothing to be embarrassed about, Sena-senpai.” Tsukasa says with a pleased smile.

“Yeah. Your sleeping face is pretty cute, Secchan~”

“Shut up.” Izumi hisses back.

Leo’s light chuckle drags his attention to Knights’ King. “If Sena is tired, Sena should sleep. You always work too hard.”

Izumi crosses his arms and legs, looking away. “It… It was just quiet here, is all.”

Leo gives him a type of smile that Izumi can’t quite put a name to. Something melancholy, yet at peace. “Well, happy birthday, Sena! We got you all kinds of gifts, so thank your King! Wahaha!”

He looks towards the pile of wrapped boxes resting on the bench on the other side of the gazebo.

“I know you’re always taking care of your diet, but just once.” Arashi winks at him, pulling a platter with a large cake on top closer to them. “We were working on this together all afternoon for you.”

“My recipe~” Ritsu adds proudly.

“Yes, but it was Narukami-senpai’s decorative skills that actually makes it seem appetizing.” Tsukasa says with worry.

“First slice goes to Sena!” Leo cheers, cutting into it quickly.

“No wish?” Izumi asks dryly, grudgingly allowing a plate of the calorie, sugar filled dessert to settle in front of him.

“Sena doesn’t believe in that stuff, anyways.” Leo replies in amusement. “You’ll make it happen all on your own, isn’t that right? We’ll help, of course. If you let us.”

Izumi pauses. He studies his long-time friend. The friend he owed so much to and yet did nothing but take more away. “…You always say weird stuff to me.”

“It’s your birthday, Izumi-chan.” Arashi leans closer, her shoulder brushing against his. “Let us celebrate with you.”

“If that’s what you want.” Izumi relents. He waits for everyone to get a plate of cake.

“Cheers, to Sena-senpai.” Tsukasa raises a forkful of the dessert. “May your next year be spent joyfully.”

“Cheers!”

He feels his words stick in throat briefly. “Thank you.”

Their laughter fills the empty space of the garden. Their conversation goes on without pause. They’re comfortable here. They’re comfortable with each other.

“Hey,” Izumi brings the attention to him. “You guys weren’t catching butterflies and setting them free, were you?”

“Butterflies?” Ritsu mimics. “After putting the clues in place, we stayed in the kitchen.”

“Actually, catching a butterfly is kind of cruel, don’t you think?” Arashi scolds lightly.

Leo’s green gaze pierces his own. “Why do you ask?”

Izumi shakes his head. “I’ve just been seeing them all day, is all. Nothing serious.”

Leo slouches over, laying his arms on the table and putting his cheek on top of them. “Butterflies hold a lot of meanings, you know? Sena sure is special, and on the day of his birth, too~”

Little John hops onto the table and nuzzles her nose against Leo’s while Arashi moves all of the dirty plates into a neat pile.

“Yes, Leader is correct. They symbolize things such as transformation, endurance, celebrations, and resurrection – to name a few. Also, emotions such as joy and bliss.” Tsukasa lists off.

“There’s another…” Leo murmurs. All eyes go to him again, watching as he finds a comfortable spot for his cheek to lay. Leo blinks tiredly. “When a person is laid to rest or has found peace, it is said their soul is in the butterfly – ready to float away happily… I think… the little Sena inside is resting now.”

“What does that mean?” Izumi whispers back. Though his voice is soft, it almost seems too loud in the quiet area around them with nothing but the gentle undertones of the breeze.

Leo eyes are halfway closed, but his lips are pulled into a gentle grin. “The Sena from the past… We’d all be happy if that Sena can rest easy now… You’ve always…”

Arashi giggles breathily as the garden falls into silence once more. “He worked especially hard today. Researched all kinds of stuff, looked up the flower language and had us pick the one we wanted. And then he went around buying everything before helping with the cake. Let’s let him rest.”

A loud screech from Yumenosaki’s main building turns their heads. An earsplitting sound like a guitar getting plugged into the sound system incorrectly.

“Ah… Anija’s party…” Ritsu grumbles.

“You sure you shouldn’t at least show your face?” Izumi wonders with a tilt of his head.

With a sigh, Ritsu gets up. “I suppose. I’ll be back. You should eat more of the cake.”

He holds the usual, scalding retort on his tongue. “I’ll think about it.”

With no one paying any more attention to her, the cat nimbly jumps off of the table and scurries into the thick shrubs growing around them.

“Ah!” Tsukasa gasps. “Little John, please come back, immediately! We need to return you to your owner!”

“Tsukasa-chan, running after a cat is not a good way to catch them.” Arashi tries to warn.

“He’ll get lost at this point. Go after him, Naru-kun?” Izumi shakes his head.

“Yeah.” Arashi pats his shoulder. “Stay and rest with Ou-sama. Happy birthday~”

As he watches them run off to find the cat, a low voice startles him into a jolt.

“Your Yuu-kun would be happy, too.”

“I thought you were sleeping…” Izumi wills his heart to stop beating so quickly. “I still don’t understand you, Leo-kun…”

Not opening his eyes, Leo sniggers. “The Halloween Party a couple days ago sure was fun… Too bad you didn’t understand any of it... Stupid Sena…”

“Hah?”

Nonetheless, no matter how long he waits, Leo does not answer him verbally. Only the steady rise and fall of his chest responds to him. As Izumi stares at the sleeping boy, yet another butterfly flies by. Illuminated by the sun just starting to dip below the horizon, the butterfly glows ethereally as it makes its way high into the sky.

Perhaps he does feel at peace – at rest – after all.

Flower Language

Iris: Your friendship means so much to me

Hydrangeas: Thank you for understanding

Chrysanthemum: Thank you for your friendship

Dark Pink Rose: Thank you

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday, Izumi~
> 
> Take a break once in a while, yeah? To Izumi and to you readers, too~
> 
> Thank you for reading! Feedback and kudos are much appreciated!!


End file.
